Identification and utilisation of lesser-known commercial timbers in Peninsular Malaysia 1: Ara, Bangkal, Bebusok and Bekoi

Lesser-known commercial timbers (LKCT) have been used in Malaysia in the form of mixed species or 'chap-char' for a long time. In fact, the use of LKCT will not only promote maximum utilisation of forest resources and reduce wastage, but also relieve pressure of over-exploitation of the currently highly valuable commercial timber species.

Most of the time, however, the consumers of LKCT do not know exactly the identity of the timber species they used since they were supplied and sold in mixed parcel. The use of LKCT is guided by the weight and the availability of the timber. The heavier LKCT will find their way to the construction industry for such purposes as roof trusses, door and window frames, outdoor structures and many other uses. The lighter-weight timbers, on the other hand, will be used for temporary structures, furniture, boxes and crates and other low values products. Sometimes, however, timbers with low strength are found to be mixed with higher strength timbers and use for structural purposes. Thus, the situation in the use of LKCT can be quite confusing resulting in premature failure of some structural members, particularly roof trusses. When the timber is exposed to the weather, it deteriorates fairly quickly as inadequate precaution such as the durability and treatability of the timber with preservatives are not considered.

The consumer of LKCT can hardly be blamed for using 'unknown' timber because of the diversity of the Malaysian flora as it has been reported that in Peninsular Malaysia alone there are about 8000 species of flowering plants, of which 2650 species are tree species with 890 of them reaching harvestable sizes exceeding 45 cm dbh. Recognizing the large number of LKCT can be quite difficult. Thus, this article attempts to guide those who are involved in the grading, quality control and enforcement of timber on the identification of some of the LKCT using macroscopic features with the hope that a larger number of timber species can be recognized and separated for use. The ability to separate the timber not only provides a more efficient use of the timber but may also be able to enhance the value of the timber species concerned.